Mortality and years of life lost related to adverse drug events in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To assess regional and national mortality and years of life lost (YLL) related to adverse drug events in Brazil.

METHODS

This is an ecological study in which death records from 2009 to 2018 from the Mortality Information System were analyzed. Codes from the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) that indicated drugs as the cause of death were identified. The number of deaths and the YLL due to adverse drug events were obtained. Crude, age- and gender-specific, and age-adjusted mortality rates and YLL rates per 100,000 inhabitants were formed by year, age group, gender, and Brazilian Federative Unit. Rate ratios were calculated by comparing rates from 2009 to 2018. A joinpoint regression model was applied for temporal analysis.

RESULTS

For the selected ICD-10 codes, a total of 95,231 deaths and 2,843,413 YLL were recorded. Mortality rates from adverse drug events increased by a mean of 2.5% per year, and YLL rates increased by 3.7%. Increases in rates were observed in almost all age groups for both genders. Variations in rates were found between Federative Units, with the highest age-adjusted mortality and YLL rates occurring in the Distrito Federal.

CONCLUSIONS

The numbers and rates of deaths and YLL increased during the study period, and variations in rates of deaths and YLL were observed between Brazilian Federative Units. Information on multiple causes of death from death certificates can be useful for quantifying adverse drug events and analyzing them geographically, by age and by gender.

The needle and the damage done: Deaths of despair, economic precarity, and the white working-class

Economic insecurity has grown in the United States since the 1970s impacting all segments of the working-class, including previously insulated sub-groups such as non-Hispanic whites. Moreover, the white working-class has experienced a surge in socio-cultural isolation, and disengagement with societal institutions. This analysis focuses on the health consequences of these developments, with a particular emphasis on the rising "deaths of despair" (suicide, drug poisoning, alcohol related). These deaths have been increasing since the mid-1990s and, at least until recently, tended to be clustered amongst whites without a four-year college degree. Various competing explanations have been put forth, emphasizing distinct factors such as material conditions, socio-cultural dynamics, and accessibility to opioids. Using a series of linear models this analysis examines the county-level association between economic precarity, white working-class population size, opioid accessibility, and deaths of despair. Results affirm the net effect of each predictor and illuminate an interactive relationship between opioid accessibility and precarity, as well as an interactive relationship between all three predictors. By undertaking an interdisciplinary synthesis of existing research, this study contributes to the understanding of the social determinants of mortality while providing crucial insights into an ongoing crisis in contemporary America.

Healthcare costs and mortality associated with serious fluoroquinolone-related adverse reactions

The aim of this study was to estimate healthcare costs and mortality associated with serious fluoroquinolone-related adverse reactions in Finland from 2008 to 2019. Serious adverse reaction types were identified from the Finnish Pharmaceutical Insurance Pool's pharmaceutical injury claims and the Finnish Medicines Agency's Adverse Reaction Register. A decision tree model was built to predict costs and mortality associated with serious adverse drug reactions (ADR). Severe clostridioides difficile infections, severe cutaneous adverse reactions, tendon ruptures, aortic ruptures, and liver injuries were included as serious adverse drug reactions in the model. Direct healthcare costs of a serious ADR were based on the number of reimbursed fluoroquinolone prescriptions from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland's database. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to address parameter uncertainty. A total of 1 831 537 fluoroquinolone prescriptions were filled between 2008 and 2019 in Finland, with prescription numbers declining 40% in recent years. Serious ADRs associated with fluoroquinolones lead to estimated direct healthcare costs of 501 938 402 €, including 11 405 ADRs and 3,884 deaths between 2008 and 2019. The average mortality risk associated with the use of fluoroquinolones was 0.21%. Severe clostridioides difficile infections were the most frequent, fatal, and costly serious ADRs associated with the use of fluoroquinolones. Although fluoroquinolones continue to be generally well-tolerated antimicrobials, serious adverse reactions cause long-term impairment to patients and high healthcare costs. Therefore, the risks and benefits should be weighed carefully in antibiotic prescription policies, as well as with individual patients.

Drug-related deaths among inpatients: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To estimate the prevalence of drug-related deaths with regard to total hospital mortality and to explore the heterogeneity in its estimation through subgroup analysis, univariate and multivariate analysis.

METHODS

Two investigators independently searched the PubMed and Google Scholar databases with appropriate key terms to identify observational and randomised studies assessing drug-related problems. The prevalence of drug-related deaths was estimated using a double arcsine method. The heterogeneity was explored through subgroup and univariate analysis for the following study characteristics: study design, age group, study ward, study region, types of drug-related problems, study duration, sample size and study period. The study variables showing significant effects were further explored through a multivariable regression model. The percentage of preventable drug-related deaths was explored as a secondary objective.

RESULTS

Of the 480 full-text articles assessed, 23 studies satisfying the selection criteria were included. The mean percentage of drug-related deaths was 5.6% (95% CI: 3.8-7.6%; I² = 96%). The univariable analysis showed study design (regression coefficient: 4.31) and study wards (regression coefficient: - 6.37) as heterogeneity modifiers. In the multivariable model, only the study ward was considered a significant predictor of drug-related deaths (regression coefficient: - 5.78; p = 0.04). The mean percentage of preventable drug-related deaths was 45.2% (95% CI: 33.6-57.0%; I² = 60%).

CONCLUSION

Drug-related problems are an important cause of mortality. The variability in its estimation could be explained by admission wards.

Relative risks of adverse events among older adults receiving opioids versus NSAIDs after hospital discharge: A nationwide cohort study

BACKGROUND

Although analgesics are initiated on hospital discharge in millions of adults each year, studies quantifying the risks of opioids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) among older adults during this transition are limited. We sought to determine the incidence and risk of post-discharge adverse events among older adults with an opioid claim in the week after hospital discharge, compared to those with NSAID claims only.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

We performed a retrospective cohort study using a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older, hospitalized in United States hospitals in 2016. We excluded beneficiaries admitted from or discharged to a facility. We derived a propensity score that included over 100 factors potentially related to the choice of analgesic, including demographics, diagnoses, surgeries, and medication coadministrations. Using 3:1 propensity matching, beneficiaries with an opioid claim in the week after hospital discharge (with or without NSAID claims) were matched to beneficiaries with an NSAID claim only. Primary outcomes included death, healthcare utilization (emergency department [ED] visits and rehospitalization), and a composite of known adverse effects of opioids or NSAIDs (fall/fracture, delirium, nausea/vomiting, complications of slowed colonic motility, acute renal failure, and gastritis/duodenitis) within 30 days of discharge. After propensity matching, there were 13,385 beneficiaries in the opioid cohort and 4,677 in the NSAID cohort (mean age: 74 years, 57% female). Beneficiaries receiving opioids had a higher incidence of death (1.8% versus 1.1%; relative risk [RR] 1.7 [1.3 to 2.3], p < 0.001, number needed to harm [NNH] 125), healthcare utilization (19.0% versus 17.4%; RR 1.1 [1.02 to 1.2], p = 0.02, NNH 59), and any potential adverse effect (25.2% versus 21.3%; RR 1.2 [1.1 to 1.3], p < 0.001, NNH 26), compared to those with an NSAID claim only. Specifically, they had higher relative risk of fall/fracture (4.5% versus 3.4%; RR 1.3 [1.1 to 1.6], p = 0.002), nausea/vomiting (9.2% versus 7.3%; RR 1.3 [1.1 to 1.4], p < 0.001), and slowed colonic motility (8.0% versus 6.2%; RR 1.3 [1.1 to 1.4], p < 0.001). Risks of delirium, acute renal failure, and gastritis/duodenitis did not differ between groups. The main limitation of our study is the observational nature of the data and possibility of residual confounding.

CONCLUSIONS

Older adults filling an opioid prescription in the week after hospital discharge were at higher risk for mortality and other post-discharge adverse outcomes compared to those filling an NSAID prescription only.

Risk of Immune-related Adverse Events in Melanoma Patients With Preexisting Autoimmune Disease Treated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Population-based Study Using SEER-Medicare Data

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to examine the risk of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in patients with a preexisting autoimmune disease (pAID) presenting with a cutaneous melanoma receiving an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy.

METHODS

Data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registries and linked Medicare claims between January 2010 and December 2015 was used to identify patients diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma who had pAID or received ICI or both. Patients were then stratified into 3 groups: ICI+pAID, non-ICI+pAID, and ICI+non-pAID. Inverse probability of treatment weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models were fitted to assess the risk of cardiac, pulmonary, endocrine, and neurological irAE.

RESULTS

In total, 3704 individuals were included in the analysis. The majority of patients consisted of non-ICI+pAID patients (N=2706/73.1%), while 106 (2.9%) patients and 892 (24.1%) were classified as ICI+pAID and ICI+non-pAID, respectively. The risk of irAE was higher in the ICI+pAID group compared with the non-ICI+pAID and ICI+non-pAID, respectively (non-ICI: cardiac: hazard ratio [HR]=3.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.83-4.55; pulmonary: HR=3.94, 95% CI: 3.23-4.81; endocrine: HR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.53-1.93; neurological: HR=3.88, 95% CI: 2.30-6.57/non-pAID: cardiac: HR=3.83, 95% CI: 3.39-4.32; pulmonary: HR=2.08, 95% CI: 1.87-2.32; endocrine: HR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.14-1.32; neurological: HR=3.77, 95% CI: 2.75-5.18).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with a pAID face a significantly higher risk of irAEs. Further research examining the clinical impact of these events on the patients' oncological outcome and quality of life is urgently needed given our findings of significantly worse rates of adverse events.

Late-onset and long-lasting immune-related adverse events from immune checkpoint-inhibitors: An overlooked aspect in immunotherapy

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionised cancer therapy but frequently cause immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Description of late-onset and duration of irAEs in the literature is often incomplete.

METHODS

To investigate reporting and incidence of late-onset and long-lasting irAEs, we reviewed all registration trials leading to ICI's approval by the US FDA and/or EMA up to December 2019. We analysed real-world data from all lung cancer (LC) and melanoma (Mel) patients treated with approved ICIs at the University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV) from 2011 to 2019. To account for the immortal time bias, we used a time-dependent analysis to assess the potential association between irAEs and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

Duration of irAEs and proportion of patients with ongoing toxicities at data cut-off were not specified in 56/62 (90%) publications of ICIs registration trials. In our real-world analysis, including 437 patients (217 LC, 220 Mel), 229 (52.4%) experienced at least one grade ≥2 toxicity, for a total of 318 reported irAEs, of which 112 (35.2%) were long-lasting (≥6 months) and about 40% were ongoing at a median follow-up of 369 days [194-695] or patient death. The cumulative probability of irAE onset from treatment initiation was 42.8%, 51.0% and 57.3% at 6, 12 and 24 months, respectively. The rate of ongoing toxicity from the time of first toxicity onset was 42.8%, 38.4% and 35.7% at 6, 12 and 24 months. Time-dependent analysis showed no significant association between the incidence of irAEs and OS in both cohorts (log Rank p = 0.67 and 0.19 for LC and Mel, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Late-onset and long-lasting irAEs are underreported but common events during ICIs therapy. Time-dependent survival analysis is advocated to assess their impact on OS. Real-world evidence is warranted to fully capture and characterise late-onset and long-lasting irAEs in order to implement appropriate strategies for patient surveillance and follow-up.

Causality assessment between reported fatal cerebral haemorrhage and suspected drugs: developing a new algorithm based on the analysis of the Japanese Adverse Event Report (JADER) database and literature review

PURPOSE

Cerebral haemorrhage is a life-threatening event with various causes including adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Several methods have been proposed for the causality assessment of ADRs, but none specific for cerebral haemorrhage. The purpose of this study was to develop an algorithm for causality assessment between drugs and fatal cerebral haemorrhage, based on the analysis of data from the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report (JADER) database and literature review.

METHODS

All fatal ADRs reported in the JADER database between April 2004 and March 2020 were searched, and literature on drug-related cerebral haemorrhage or general causality assessment was reviewed to summarise the information on causality between cerebral haemorrhage and ADRs.

RESULTS

Of the 50,095 cases identified in the JADER database, cerebral haemorrhage was the fifth most reported cause of fatal ADRs, but the causality of >80% of the events was published as 'Unassessable'. The literature review identified articles on drug-related cerebral haemorrhage and causality assessment methods in general. Based on these articles, information on five categories (temporal relationship, previous knowledge about the relationship between drug action and ADRs, alternative aetiological candidate, appropriateness of drug use, and the relationship between death and ADRs) was determined for causality assessment between a suspected drug and fatal cerebral haemorrhage; a new algorithm was created using this information.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the information considered necessary for causality assessment between drugs and fatal cerebral haemorrhage was reviewed and an assessment algorithm was developed. Future studies are needed to validate the usefulness of this method.

Analysis of fatal adverse drug events recorded in several Italian emergency departments (the MEREAFaPS study)

Fatal Adverse Events (FADEs) are a major public health problem, and some FADEs could be preventable. The aim of the present study is to describe the frequency, the drugs involved and the preventability in the FADEs collected through the MEREAFaPS Study between 2012 and 2018. All cases including the outcome "death" have been examined. We excluded cases with vaccine-related ADEs, overdose or suicide, and ADEs occurred during the hospitalisation. Two trained assessors evaluated all cases fulfilling the inclusion criteria. ADEs' preventability was evaluated applying the Schumock and Thornton algorithm. During the study period, we observed 429 cases of death, 92 of which were excluded. The remaining 337 cases involved 187 women and 150 men, with a mean age of 79 and of 77 years, respectively. For each report, the suspected drugs and concomitant ones were 1.26 and 4.20, respectively. Anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents account for more than 40% of FADE cases and the most frequent reactions are haemorrhages (37.5%). The 25% of the FADEs were preventable. This study confirms that FADEs are still a relevant clinical occurrence, and are often caused by widely used old drugs associated with adverse events. The death of one in four patients was preventable. Further efforts should be done to improve the appropriateness of the therapy, especially in older patients who are treated with anticoagulants.

Cutaneous toxicities in patients with melanoma receiving checkpoint inhibitor therapy: a retrospective review. The experience of a single large specialist institution

Checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) therapy has significantly improved overall survival for metastatic melanoma, and is now approved for use in the adjuvant setting. Modulating the immune system is recognized to cause cutaneous immune-related adverse events (irAEs). We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study of adult patients with melanoma at our tertiary referral centre, who received CPI therapy from 2006 to March 2018. This is the single largest study of cutaneous irAEs occurring on CPI therapy in patients with melanoma to date and encompasses 12 years. The results showed that cutaneous toxicity occurs in 24% of patients but is generally manageable, with < 5% patients discontinuing treatment.

Risk factors for drug-related problems in a general hospital: A large prospective cohort

OBJECTIVE

To identify risk factors for potential Drug-Related Problems (DRP) at admission in hospitalized patients.

METHODOLOGY

Prospective cohort study conducted in adults patients hospitalized (May 2016 to May 2018) in a general tertiary care hospital in Brazil. Potential DRP were detected by daily review of 100% of electronic medication orders by hospital pharmacists and classified by the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe classification system (PCNE version 6.2). For the identification of risk factors of potential DRP, backward stepwise logistic regression was used to identify the set of independent predictors among over 120 variables collected in the initial 48 hours after admission in a training set consisting of 2/3 of the study population. The model was validated in the remaining sample.

RESULTS

The study population consisted of 1686 patients aged 52.0+/- 18.3 years-old, 51.4% females, with a median length of stay of 3.24 days, and 4.5% in-hospital mortality. The cumulative incidence of potential DRP was 14.5%. Admission for elective surgery and main diagnosis of disease of the circulatory system were associated with reduced risk of DRP (OR 0.41 and 0.57, respectively, p<0.05). The independent risk factors of DRP are heart rate ≥ 80 bpm (OR 1.41, p = 0.05), prescription of more than seven drugs in day 2 (OR 1.63, p = 0.05), prescription in day 1 of drugs of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Code (ATC) class A (alimentary tract and metabolism, OR 2.24, p = 0.003), prescription in day 2 of two or more ATC class A drugs (OR = 3.52, p<0.001), and in day 1 of ATC class J drugs (antiinfectives for systemic use, OR 1.97, p = 0.001). In the validation set, the c-statistic of the predictive model was 0.65, the sensitivity was 56.1% and the specificity was 65.2%.

CONCLUSION

This study identified seven independent risk factors of potential DRP in patients hospitalized in a general hospital that have fair predictive performance for utilization in clinical practice.

Descriptive study of adverse drug reactions in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in México from 2014 to 2017

INTRODUCTION

In Pediatrics, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) affect morbidity and mortality. In Mexico, the characteristics of ADRs and suspect drugs have not been described in hospitalized children.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the frequency of ADRs and describe them, as well as suspect drugs, in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Mexico.

METHODS

A total of 1,649 Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gómez ADR reports were analyzed. Completeness of the information was assessed, and ADRs severity and seriousness were assigned based on NOM-220-SSA1-2012, with causality being established according to the Naranjo algorithm. ADRs were classified with WHO Adverse Drug Reaction Terminology (WHO-ART). The drugs involved in ADRs were categorized according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification. Descriptive analysis was performed using the SPSS 20 statistical package.

RESULTS

Of all the reports, 5.8% lacked sufficient information for the analysis (grade 0). ADRs frequency ranged from 2.12% to 8.07%. ADRs occurred most commonly in children (56.9%), in the female gender (52%), in subjects with normal BMI Z-score (46.6%) and malnutrition (35.3%), diagnosed with neoplasms (72.2%) and in the Emergency Department (70.0%). ADRs were severe in 14.4% of cases, in 81.0% they were serious and 2.1% were classified as definite. Most common serious ADR was febrile neutropenia (44.5%). The 0.7% of patients recovering with sequelae; 1.1% died (with the medication being associated) and 70.3% were admitted to the hospital as a result of an ADR. Antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents were more commonly associated with serious ADRs.

CONCLUSION

ADRs affected morbidity and mortality, which is why strengthening pharmacovigilance programs in Mexican pediatric hospitals is necessary.

The prevalence of agranulocytosis and related death in clozapine-treated patients: a comprehensive meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND

Clozapine treatment increases the risk of agranulocytosis, but findings on the epidemiology of agranulocytosis have been inconsistent. This meta-analysis examined the prevalence of agranulocytosis and related death in clozapine-treated patients.

METHODS

A literature search in the international (PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE) and Chinese (WanFang, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Sinomed) databases was conducted. Prevalence estimates of agranulocytosis and related death in clozapine-treated patients were synthesized with the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program using the random-effects model.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies with 260 948 clozapine-treated patients published between 1984 and 2018 were included in the meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of agranulocytosis and death caused by agranulocytosis were 0.4% (95% CI 0.3-0.6%) and 0.05% (95% CI 0.03-0.09%), respectively. The prevalence of agranulocytosis was moderated by sample size, study quality, year of publication, and that of data collection.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of clozapine-associated agranulocytosis is low. Agranulocytosis-related death appears rare.

Outcomes and Toxicities of Programmed Death-1 (PD-1) Inhibitors in Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients in the United States: A Real-World, Multicenter Retrospective Analysis

BACKGROUND

Although classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is highly curable, 20%-30% of patients will not be cured with conventional treatments. The programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors (PD-1i) nivolumab and pembrolizumab have been Food and Drug Administration-approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) cHL. There is limited data on the real-world experience with PD-1i in cHL and it is unknown whether fewer selected patients treated with PD-1i derive benefits similar to those observed in published trials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a multicenter, retrospective analysis of R/R cHL patients treated with PD-1i in the nontrial setting. The primary objective was to describe progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in this population. Secondary objectives were to characterize response rates, toxicities, discontinuation patterns, and post-PD-1i therapies.

RESULTS

The study included 53 patients from nine U.S. centers. Overall response rate (ORR), complete response (CR), and partial response (PR) to PD-1i were 68%, 45%, and 23%, respectively. Twelve-month OS and PFS were 89% and 75%, respectively; median PFS was 29 months. Ninety-six percent of patients with CR continue to respond at a median follow-up of 20 months. Toxicities were similar to those previously described. Seventy percent of patients treated with systemic therapy after PD-1i demonstrated objective responses.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this analysis is the first describing real-world experience with PD-1i in cHL patients in the U.S. Here, we demonstrate similar response rates compared to prior studies. The toxicity profile of PD-1i was similar to that seen in previous studies; we further describe toxicity patterns in those with prior autoimmune disease or allogeneic transplant. Post-PD-1i systemic therapies appear active. These results support the effectiveness and tolerability of PD-1i therapy in R/R cHL in a real-world setting.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Two PD-1 inhibitors have recently been approved for patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma based on results from nonrandomized clinical trials. However, to date, there have been no studies evaluating the effectiveness and toxicity profile of these drugs in the real-world setting in the U.S. The present study demonstrates that patients treated in a real-world context experience similar rates of overall effectiveness compared with published clinical trials. Patients who discontinue PD-1 inhibitors may experience clinical responses to subsequent treatment with systemic chemotherapy or targeted therapy. This study provides clinicians with further insight into the effectiveness and tolerability of PD-1 inhibitors and suggests that when patients progress while on these drugs, conventional systemic chemotherapy may be an effective treatment option.

Fatal Toxic Effects Associated With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

IMPORTANCE

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are now a mainstay of cancer treatment. Although rare, fulminant and fatal toxic effects may complicate these otherwise transformative therapies; characterizing these events requires integration of global data.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the spectrum, timing, and clinical features of fatal ICI-associated toxic effects.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

We retrospectively queried a World Health Organization (WHO) pharmacovigilance database (Vigilyze) comprising more than 16 000 000 adverse drug reactions, and records from 7 academic centers. We performed a meta-analysis of published trials of anti-programmed death-1/ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) and anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) to evaluate their incidence using data from large academic medical centers, global WHO pharmacovigilance data, and all published ICI clinical trials of patients with cancer treated with ICIs internationally.

EXPOSURES

Anti-CTLA-4 (ipilimumab or tremelimumab), anti-PD-1 (nivolumab, pembrolizumab), or anti-PD-L1 (atezolizumab, avelumab, durvalumab).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Timing, spectrum, outcomes, and incidence of ICI-associated toxic effects.

RESULTS

Internationally, 613 fatal ICI toxic events were reported from 2009 through January 2018 in Vigilyze. The spectrum differed widely between regimens: in a total of 193 anti-CTLA-4 deaths, most were usually from colitis (135 [70%]), whereas anti-PD-1/PD-L1-related fatalities were often from pneumonitis (333 [35%]), hepatitis (115 [22%]), and neurotoxic effects (50 [15%]). Combination PD-1/CTLA-4 deaths were frequently from colitis (32 [37%]) and myocarditis (22 [25%]). Fatal toxic effects typically occurred early after therapy initiation for combination therapy, anti-PD-1, and ipilimumab monotherapy (median 14.5, 40, and 40 days, respectively). Myocarditis had the highest fatality rate (52 [39.7%] of 131 reported cases), whereas endocrine events and colitis had only 2% to 5% reported fatalities; 10% to 17% of other organ-system toxic effects reported had fatal outcomes. Retrospective review of 3545 patients treated with ICIs from 7 academic centers revealed 0.6% fatality rates; cardiac and neurologic events were especially prominent (43%). Median time from symptom onset to death was 32 days. A meta-analysis of 112 trials involving 19 217 patients showed toxicity-related fatality rates of 0.36% (anti-PD-1), 0.38% (anti-PD-L1), 1.08% (anti-CTLA-4), and 1.23% (PD-1/PD-L1 plus CTLA-4).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In the largest evaluation of fatal ICI-associated toxic effects published to date to our knowledge, we observed early onset of death with varied causes and frequencies depending on therapeutic regimen. Clinicians across disciplines should be aware of these uncommon lethal complications.

Comparison of Data on Serious Adverse Events and Mortality in ClinicalTrials.gov, Corresponding Journal Articles, and FDA Medical Reviews: Cross-Sectional Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Inconsistencies in data on serious adverse events (SAEs) and mortality in ClinicalTrials.gov and corresponding journal articles pose a challenge to research transparency.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to compare data on SAEs and mortality from clinical trials reported in ClinicalTrials.gov and corresponding journal articles with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) medical reviews.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of a randomly selected sample of new molecular entities approved during the study period 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015. We extracted data on SAEs and mortality from 15 pivotal trials from ClinicalTrials.gov and corresponding journal articles (the two index resources), and FDA medical reviews (reference standard). We estimated the magnitude of deviations in rates of SAEs and mortality between the index resources and the reference standard.

RESULTS

We found deviations in rates of SAEs (30% in ClinicalTrials.gov and 30% in corresponding journal articles) and mortality (72% in ClinicalTrials.gov and 53% in corresponding journal articles) when compared with the reference standard. The intra-class correlation coefficient between the three resources was 0.99 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98-0.99) for SAE rates and 0.99 (95% CI 0.97-0.99) for mortality rates.

CONCLUSION

There are differences in data on rates of SAEs and mortality in randomized clinical trials in both ClinicalTrials.gov and journal articles compared with FDA reviews. Further efforts should focus on decreasing existing discrepancies to enhance the transparency and reproducibility of data reporting in clinical trials.

Evaluation of Amphetamine-Related Hospitalizations and Associated Clinical Outcomes and Costs in the United States

IMPORTANCE

Despite indications of increasing amphetamine availability and psychostimulant deaths in the United States, evidence across data sources is mixed, and data on amphetamine-related hospitalizations are lacking.

OBJECTIVE

To clarify trends in amphetamine-related hospitalizations and their clinical outcomes and costs in the United States.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This repeated, cross-sectional study used hospital discharge data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project National Inpatient Sample. The nationally representative sample included US adults (n = 1 292 300) who had amphetamine-related hospitalizations between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2015. Multivariable logistic and Poisson regression models were used to examine in-hospital mortality and length of stay. Analysis of these data was conducted from November 2017 to August 2018.

EXPOSURE

Amphetamine dependence or abuse or amphetamine poisoning.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Annual hospitalizations, in-hospital mortality, length of stay, transfer to another facility, and costs.

RESULTS

Over the 2003 to 2015 study period, there were 1 292 300 weighted amphetamine-related hospitalizations. Of this population, 541 199 (41.9%) were female and 749 392 (58.1%) were male, with a mean age of 37.5 years (95% CI, 37.4-37.7 years). Amphetamine-related hospitalizations, compared with other hospitalizations, were associated with age younger than 65 years (98.0% vs 58.0%; P < .001), male sex (60.3% [95% CI, 59.7%-60.8%] vs 41.1% [95% CI, 40.9%-41.3%]), Medicaid coverage (51.2% [95% CI, 49.8%-52.7%] vs 17.8% [95% CI, 17.5%-18.1%]), and residence in the western United States (58.5% [95% CI, 55.9%-61.0%] vs 18.9% [95% CI, 18.0%-19.8%]). Amphetamine-related hospitalizations declined between 2005 and 2008, and then increased from 55 447 hospitalizations (95% CI, 44 936-65 959) in 2008 to 206 180 hospitalizations (95% CI, 95% CI, 189 188-223 172) in 2015. Amphetamine-related hospitalizations increased to a greater degree than hospitalizations associated with other substances. Adjusted mean length of stay (5.9 [95% CI, 5.8-6.0] vs 4.7 [95% CI, 4.7-4.8] days; P < .001), transfer to another facility (26.0% [95% CI, 25.3%-26.8%] vs 18.5% [95% CI, 18.3%-18.6%]; P < .001), and mean in-hospital mortality (28.3 [95% CI, 26.2-30.4] vs 21.9 [95% CI, 21.6-22.1] deaths per 1000 hospitalizations; P < .001) were higher for amphetamine-related than other hospitalizations. Annual hospital costs related to amphetamines increased from $436 million (95% CI, $312 million-$559 million) in 2003 to $2.17 billion (95% CI, $1.95 billion-$2.39 billion) by 2015.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Given that amphetamine-related hospitalizations and costs substantially increased between 2003 and 2015, pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies for amphetamine use disorders and a coordinated public health response are needed to curb these rising rates.

Mortality and adverse events with brand and generic clopidogrel in the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System

Aims

Clopidogrel is commonly used even after expiring patents. The brand clopidogrel (BC) was dealt by single company, while numerous manufacturers produce generic clopidogrel (GC). There are no convincing data to compare the safety of different formulations. Therefore, the data yielded from international, uniform, government-mandated registries may be useful.

Methods and results

We assessed primary causative adverse events (PCAE) after BC and GC in the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The outcomes were divided into death, cardiac, thrombotic/embolic, haemorrhagic, and rash/dermal complications. These primary endpoints were then examined by proportional reporting ratios (PRR) and chi-square (χ2). Among total FAERS (n = 9 466 679) reports, overall BC (n = 88 863) cases were more common than after GC (n = 36 559). When triaged by PCAE role, BC (n = 18 328) was also more abundant than GC (n = 3987). The reported death rates were more than doubled after BC [18.4% vs. 7.0%; PRR = 0.38; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.32–0.43; χ2=369.7; P<0.0001] for total FAERS, and consistent for late 2010–2017 (17.6% vs. 7.0% PRR = 0.40; 95% CI 0.37–0.45; χ2=286.2; P<0.004) PCAE cases. In contrast, GC trended to co-report more cardiac (14.6% vs. 13.3%; PRR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.0–1.25; χ2=3.5; P<0.06). The haemorrhagic (40.9% vs. 32.3%; PRR = 1.45; 95% CI 1.33–1.57; χ2=75.8; P<0.0001), and rash/dermal (5.4% vs. 4.6%; PRR = 1.20; 95% CI 1.0–1.44; χ2=3.75; P<0.05) events were also more common for GC. Thrombotic/embolic events were reported equally (at 7.0%) after each formulation.

Conclusion

The PCAE profiles differ with BC and GC in FAERS. While deaths reports were higher, the rates of cardiac, haemorrhagic, and skin complications were less common for BC. Despite expected reporting bias, this may indicate that the manufacturers of GC are reluctant to report deaths to the FDA. However, the overall adverse event profile suggests potentially better safety of BC over GC formulations.

Anticoagulant-associated adverse drug reactions in 2013-15

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to obtain a better insight into the adverse effects profiles of the new direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A review was undertaken of all reports of adverse effects for warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban reported to the regional medicines information and pharmacovigilance centres (RELIS) in the period June 2013-May 2015.

RESULTS

Approximately 65 000 persons used direct-acting oral anticoagulants and 80 000 used warfarin in the period of the study. A total of 409 reports of adverse effects were included. Altogether 55 % of the reports applied to men. In 76 % of the reports for direct-acting oral anticoagulants and 85 % for warfarin, the patients were more than 70 years of age. The most common adverse effects were haemorrhages (48 % for direct-acting oral anticoagulants and 75 % for warfarin), most of which were cerebral haemorrhages (91 for direct-acting oral anticoagulants and 92 for warfarin). Blood clots (therapeutic failure), cognitive effects, headache and hair loss were some of the other adverse effects. The highest comorbidity was among the patients who died. The number of reported deaths was highest for rivaroxaban (1.1 deaths/1000 users) with a declining incidence for apixaban (0.9 ‰), dabigatran (0.7 ‰) and warfarin (0.6 ‰). There were different degrees of reporting for these medications, and the spontaneous reporting system cannot therefore be used to compare the incidence of adverse effects for the drugs.

INTERPRETATION

Adverse effects, including serious effects, may occur when using all anticoagulants. Factors that may increase the risk of adverse effects are advanced age, high comorbidity, reduced renal function, and polypharmacy.

Drug-related deaths in hospital inpatients: A retrospective cohort study

AIMS

To determine the incidence of drug-related deaths (DRD) in a university hospital in 2015, to describe their characteristics, and to discover risk factors of DRD.

METHODS

An analytic and retrospective cohort study. Patients with a death diagnosed predefined from a list of medical conditions potentially caused by drugs were the selected cases for further review. Causality assessment was evaluated by a local drug safety committee.

RESULTS

Out of 1135 inpatient deaths, 73 DRD were included (six were hospital-acquired). The incidence of DRD of all hospital admissions was 0.34%, and the incidence of all deaths cases was 7%. Drugs were the cause of death in 38 patients (52%) and a contributive role in 35 (48%). The median age of DRD patients was 72 years (range 19-94) and 72.6% were men. The median hospital stay, Charlson score and number of drugs were 5 days, 2 points and seven drugs respectively. The most frequent DRD were cerebral haemorrhages and infections in drug-immunosuppressed patients (32, 43.8%, each group). The most frequently involved drugs were antineoplastics and glucocorticosteroids (40% and 18%), and antithrombotics (33%); drug-drug interactions were present in 44% DRD. Sex, age and number of drugs were risk factors of DRD.

CONCLUSIONS

Adverse drug reactions were a significant cause of death in hospitalized patients, mainly haemorrhages and infections precipitated by drug-drug interactions. Risk factors for DRD were sex, age and number of drugs. Preventable DRD and measures to avoid them should be accurately assessed in further studies.

Paired Phase II Studies of Erlotinib/Bevacizumab for Advanced Bronchioloalveolar Carcinoma or Never Smokers With Advanced Non-Small-cell Lung Cancer: SWOG S0635 and S0636 Trials

BACKGROUND

Before mutation testing of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene was recognized as highly associated with the activity of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), clinically defined patient populations with bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) and never smokers were identified as likely to benefit from EGFR TKIs. From preclinical and clinical data suggesting potentially improved efficacy with a combination of an EGFR TKI and the antiangiogenic agent bevacizumab, the Southwestern Oncology Group (SWOG) initiated paired phase II trials to evaluate the combination of erlotinib/bevacizumab in patients with advanced BAC (SWOG S0635) or never smokers with advanced lung adenocarcinoma (SWOG S0636).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eligible patients with BAC or adenocarcinoma with BAC features (SWOG S0635) or never smokers with advanced lung adenocarcinoma (SWOG S0636) received erlotinib 150 mg/day with bevacizumab 15 mg/kg until progression or prohibitive toxicity. Never smokers with BAC were preferentially enrolled to SWOG S0636. The primary endpoint for both trials was overall survival.

RESULTS

A total of 84 patients were enrolled in the SWOG S0635 trial and 85 in the SWOG S0636 trial. The objective response rate was 22% (3% complete response) in the SWOG S0635 trial and 50% (38% confirmed; 3% complete response) in the SWOG S0636 trial. The median progression-free survival was 5 and 7.4 months in the S0635 and S0636 trials, respectively. The median overall survival was 21 and 29.8 months, respectively. Toxicity consisted mainly of rash and diarrhea in both trials.

CONCLUSION

Although the field has moved toward molecular, rather than clinical, selection of patients as optimal candidates for EGFR TKI therapy, these results support the hypothesis that a subset of patients in whom erlotinib is particularly active could receive an incremental benefit from the addition of bevacizumab.

Adverse-Drug-Reaction-Related Hospitalisations in Developed and Developing Countries: A Review of Prevalence and Contributing Factors

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are one of the leading causes of hospital admissions and morbidity in developed countries and represent a substantial burden on healthcare delivery systems. However, there is little data available from low- and middle-income countries. This review compares the prevalence and characteristics of ADR-related hospitalisations in adults in developed and developing countries, including the mortality, severity and preventability associated with these events, commonly implicated drugs and contributing factors. A literature search was conducted via PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, ProQuest and Google Scholar to find articles published in English from 2000 to 2015. Relevant observational studies were included. The median (with interquartile range [IQR]) prevalence of ADR-related hospitalisation in developed and developing countries was 6.3 % (3.3-11.0) and 5.5 % (1.1-16.9), respectively. The median proportions of preventable ADRs in developed and developing countries were 71.7 % (62.3-80.0) and 59.6 % (51.5-79.6), respectively. Similarly, the median proportions of ADRs resulting in mortality in developed and developing countries were 1.7 % (0.7-4.8) and 1.8 % (0.8-8.0), respectively. Commonly implicated drugs in both settings were antithrombotic, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular drugs. Older age, female gender, number of medications, renal impairment and heart failure were reported to be associated with an increased risk for ADR-related hospitalisation in both settings while HIV/AIDS was implicated in developing countries only. The majority of ADRs were preventable in both settings, highlighting the importance of improving medication use, particularly in vulnerable patient groups such as the elderly, patients with multiple comorbidities and, in developing countries, patients with HIV/AIDS.

Deaths from acute drug reactions in Galician (Spain) Prisons (2001-2010)

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

drug use is associated with multiple complications with an increase in morbidity, with death by acute drugs reactions (ADR) being the most serious. A large percentage of the prison population has problems associated with drug additions, and substance abuse is also a common internal problem of penal institutions, despite their control measures. The goal of this study is to analyse the prevalence of ADR in penitentiaries, deceased sociodemographic characteristics as well as the circumstances in which they are produced.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

All deaths by ADR between 2001-2010 in Galicia are studied, in particular, those deaths that took place inside prisons.

RESULTS

In the whole sample (n=510) male (90.6%), single (46.1%) with an average age of 35.8 and with a prevalent factor of long experience in drug abuse. Thirty seven of them died in Penal/Correctional Institutions, representing 7.3% of the total sample. The characteristics of this population subtype were similar to the total sample (average age: 34.7 years; 89.2% were males) but we found significant differences regarding the substances detected.

DISCUSSION

ADR is the most frequent cause of death among drug addict convicts in prisons. The pattern of the detected substances in the toxicological analysis as well as the socio-demographic characteristics can help to establish a higher risk profile and preventive measures.

Professional, structural and organisational interventions in primary care for reducing medication errors

BACKGROUND

Medication-related adverse events in primary care represent an important cause of hospital admissions and mortality. Adverse events could result from people experiencing adverse drug reactions (not usually preventable) or could be due to medication errors (usually preventable).

OBJECTIVES

To determine the effectiveness of professional, organisational and structural interventions compared to standard care to reduce preventable medication errors by primary healthcare professionals that lead to hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and mortality in adults.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, three other databases, and two trial registries on 4 October 2016, together with reference checking, citation searching and contact with study authors to identify additional studies. We also searched several sources of grey literature.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised trials in which healthcare professionals provided community-based medical services. We also included interventions in outpatient clinics attached to a hospital where people are seen by healthcare professionals but are not admitted to hospital. We only included interventions that aimed to reduce medication errors leading to hospital admissions, emergency department visits, or mortality. We included all participants, irrespective of age, who were prescribed medication by a primary healthcare professional.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Three review authors independently extracted data. Each of the outcomes (hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and mortality), are reported in natural units (i.e. number of participants with an event per total number of participants at follow-up). We presented all outcomes as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We used the GRADE tool to assess the certainty of evidence.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 30 studies (169,969 participants) in the review addressing various interventions to prevent medication errors; four studies addressed professional interventions (8266 participants) and 26 studies described organisational interventions (161,703 participants). We did not find any studies addressing structural interventions. Professional interventions included the use of health information technology to identify people at risk of medication problems, computer-generated care suggested and actioned by a physician, electronic notification systems about dose changes, drug interventions and follow-up, and educational interventions on drug use aimed at physicians to improve drug prescriptions. Organisational interventions included medication reviews by pharmacists, nurses or physicians, clinician-led clinics, and home visits by clinicians.There is a great deal of diversity in types of professionals involved and where the studies occurred. However, most (61%) of the interventions were conducted by pharmacists or a combination of pharmacists and medical doctors. The studies took place in many different countries; 65% took place in either the USA or the UK. They all ranged from three months to 4.7 years of follow-up, they all took place in primary care settings such as general practice, outpatients' clinics, patients' homes and aged-care facilities. The participants in the studies were adults taking medications and the interventions were undertaken by healthcare professionals including pharmacists, nurses or physicians. There was also evidence of potential bias in some studies, with only 18 studies reporting adequate concealment of allocation and only 12 studies reporting appropriate protection from contamination, both of which may have influenced the overall effect estimate and the overall pooled estimate. Professional interventionsProfessional interventions probably make little or no difference to the number of hospital admissions (risk ratio (RR) 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79 to 1.96; 2 studies, 3889 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Professional interventions make little or no difference to the number of participants admitted to hospital (adjusted RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.06; 1 study, 3661 participants; high-certainty evidence). Professional interventions may make little or no difference to the number of emergency department visits (adjusted RR 0.71, 95% CI 0.50 to 1.02; 2 studies, 1067 participants; low-certainty evidence). Professional interventions probably make little or no difference to mortality in the study population (adjusted RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.17; 1 study, 3538 participants; moderate-certainty evidence). Organisational interventionsOverall, it is uncertain whether organisational interventions reduce the number of hospital admissions (adjusted RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.03; 11 studies, 6203 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Overall, organisational interventions may make little difference to the total number of people admitted to hospital in favour of the intervention group compared with the control group (adjusted RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.86 to 0.99; 13 studies, 152,237 participants; low-certainty evidence. Overall, it is uncertain whether organisational interventions reduce the number of emergency department visits in favour of the intervention group compared with the control group (adjusted RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.15; 5 studies, 1819 participants; very low-certainty evidence. Overall, it is uncertain whether organisational interventions reduce mortality in favour of the intervention group (adjusted RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.03; 12 studies, 154,962 participants; very low-certainty evidence.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Based on moderate- and low-certainty evidence, interventions in primary care for reducing preventable medication errors probably make little or no difference to the number of people admitted to hospital or the number of hospitalisations, emergency department visits, or mortality. The variation in heterogeneity in the pooled estimates means that our results should be treated cautiously as the interventions may not have worked consistently across all studies due to differences in how the interventions were provided, background practice, and culture or delivery of the interventions. Larger studies addressing both professional and organisational interventions are needed before evidence-based recommendations can be made. We did not identify any structural interventions and only four studies used professional interventions, and so more work needs to be done with these types of interventions. There is a need for high-quality studies describing the interventions in more detail and testing patient-related outcomes.

[New recommendations in oncocardiology]

It is well-known that modern oncotherapy significantly reduced the mortality of malignant diseases. However, serious side effects of the applied cancer therapies have evolved, which may adversely affect the cardiovascular system. Early side effects often limit therapeutic success of oncotherapy and may require treatment interruption, while late-onset side effects can adversely influence the long-term survival of patients recovering from cancer. Oncocardiology is a new medical field gaining more and more attention. It aims at the optimisation of the efficacy of cancer therapy and clinical outcome of patients. In the current review we present such important recommendations that may help the management of cardiovascular toxicity of cancer therapy in the everyday clinical practice.

Non-health Care Facility Medication Errors Associated with Hormones and Hormone Antagonists in the United States

INTRODUCTION

Hormones and hormone antagonists are frequently associated with medication errors and may result in important adverse outcomes. The purpose of this study is to investigate non-health care facility (non-HCF) medication errors associated with hormones and hormone antagonists in the United States (US).

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of National Poison Data System data was conducted to identify characteristics and trends of unintentional non-HCF therapeutic errors involving hormones and hormone antagonists among individuals of all ages from 2000 to 2012.

RESULTS

From 2000 to 2012, US poison control centers received 169,695 calls regarding unintentional non-HCF therapeutic errors associated with hormone therapies, averaging 13,053 medication error calls annually. The rate of reported errors increased significantly by 162.6% (p < 0.001), from 2.24 per 100,000 US residents in 2000 to 5.89 per 100,000 in 2012. Two thirds of the errors (65.2%) occurred among females. The medications most commonly associated with errors were thyroid preparations (23.2%), corticosteroids (21.9%), and insulin (20.0%). All nine deaths and 93.2% of major effects were attributed to hypoglycemic agents. Sulfonylureas alone accounted 43.9% of major effects. The number and rate of therapeutic errors increased significantly for all medication categories except estrogen and thiazolidinediones. Most errors were managed at the site of exposure (82.9%) and did not result in serious medical outcomes (95.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides an overview of non-HCF medication errors associated with hormones and hormone antagonists in the US. While most errors did not result in adverse outcomes, their increasing frequency places a greater burden on the health care system.

Aminophylline and caffeine for reversal of adverse symptoms associated with regadenoson SPECT MPI

BACKGROUND

Aminophylline shortages led us to compare intravenous (IV) aminophylline with IV and oral (PO) caffeine during routine pharmacologic stress testing with SPECT MPI.

METHODS

We measured presence, duration, and reversal of adverse symptoms and cardiac events following regadenoson administration in consecutive patients randomized to IV aminophylline (100 mg administered over 30-60 seconds), IV caffeine citrate (60 mg infused over 3-5 minutes), or PO caffeine as coffee or diet cola.

RESULTS

Of 241 patients, 152 (63%) received regadenoson reversal intervention. Complete (CR), predominant (PRE), or partial (PR) reversal was observed in 99%. CR by IV aminophylline (87%), IV caffeine (87%), and PO caffeine (78%) were similar (P = NS). Time to CR (162 ± 12.6 seconds, mean ± SD) was similar in treatment arms. PO caffeine was inferior to IV aminophylline for CR + PRE.

CONCLUSIONS

IV aminophylline and IV caffeine provide rapid, safe reversal of regadenoson-induced adverse effects during SPECT MPI. Oral caffeine appeared similarly effective for CR but not for the combined CR + PRE. Our results suggest PO caffeine may be an effective initial strategy for reversal of regadenoson, but IV aminophylline or IV caffeine should be available to optimize symptom reversal as needed.

Retrospective case series analysis of characteristics and trends in unintentional pharmaceutical drug poisoning by methadone, opioid analgesics, antidepressants and benzodiazepines in Clark County, NV 2009-13

Background

Poisoning has become the leading cause of injury death in the USA-with opioid analgesic involved in more fatal poisonings than any other drug, including cocaine and heroin. The epidemic of prescription drug poisonings is a public health concern. This study aimed to define potential high-risk groups for unintentional prescription drug poisoning by methadone, opioid analgesics, antidepressants or benzodiazepines.

Methods

A hospital-based retrospective case series analysis of admissions related to prescription drug poisonings associated with methadone, opioid analgesics, antidepressants or benzodiazepines for hospitals in Clark County, Nevada between 2009 and 2013 was employed.

Results

There were 7414 admissions with a primary diagnosis of an unintentional poisoning due to methadone, opioid analgesics, antidepressants or benzodiazepines. Women had the highest rate of admissions particularly in the 45-54 age group. Higher rates of admissions were also found among non-Hispanic whites, single and uninsured populations. There were concerning increases in admissions among 65+ and Native American/Alaskan Native subgroups in 2013. Benzodiazepines and opioid analgesics were the most prevalent drug categories for prescription drug poisoning admissions.

Conclusion

Public health professionals can utilize hospital data to identify populations at risk and in need of targeted interventions.

Comparative Safety of Morphine Delivered via Intravenous Route vs. Patient-Controlled Analgesia Device for Pediatric Inpatients

CONTEXT

Although patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is an effective pain control modality, there is a lack of large studies on PCA safety in pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVES

This study compared the delivery of morphine either via intravenous route (morphine IV) or via PCA device (morphine PCA) on risk of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and mechanical ventilation (MV) using a large administrative database.

METHODS

We assembled a retrospective cohort of pediatric inpatients between five and 21 years old in 42 children's hospitals between 2007 and 2011 from the Pediatric Health Information System database. After propensity score matching, we created matched cohorts of morphine PCA and morphine IV patients, in both surgical and nonsurgical samples, who were similar on demographic, clinical, and hospital-level factors. We examined if PCA administration was associated with greater likelihood of CPR or MV up to two days after drug administration.

RESULTS

Surgical and nonsurgical patients administered morphine PCA generally had lower odds of having MV on the baseline day and up to two days after PCA exposure, although these estimates were not statistically significant. Similarly, PCA exposure was associated with about 20%-44% lower odds of same day CPR in both surgical and nonsurgical patients, with a slightly greater reduction in the odds of CPR in the surgical patients.

CONCLUSION

In this large pediatric inpatient population, morphine administered via PCA device for surgical and nonsurgical pain was not associated with an increased risk of receiving CPR or MV, and was associated with slightly better safety outcomes than intravenous morphine.

Safety of vasodilator stress myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with elevated cardiac biomarkers

BACKGROUND

While adenosine and dipyridamole as myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) stress agents have literature supporting their safety in the setting of myocardial infarction (MI), regadenoson does not. Studying a high risk cohort of patients with elevated cardiac biomarkers may shed light on potential safety issues of these agents which might also affect lower risk cohorts.

METHODS

All patients who had undergone a clinically indicated stress MPI study at two academic centers from 1/1/2010 through 12/31/2012 with elevated troponin ≤7 days prior to testing were included. The primary endpoint was a composite of death, non-fatal MI, congestive heart failure (CHF), stroke, ventricular arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation/flutter, or atrioventricular block requiring intervention within 24 h of testing.

RESULTS

Of the 703 stress MPI studies that met inclusion criteria, 360 (51.2%), 199 (28.3%), 74 (10.5%), 9 (1.3%), and 61 (8.7%) underwent regadenoson, dipyridamole, adenosine, dobutamine, and exercise stress, respectively. The primary endpoint occurred in 11 (1.6%) patients with an incidence of 1.4% (n = 5), 1.0% (n = 2), 1.4% (n = 1), 11.1% (n = 1), and 3.3% (n = 2) following regadenoson, dipyridamole, adenosine, dobutamine, and exercise stress, respectively (P = 0.137). The adverse events included non-fatal MI in 7 (1.0%) patients, death in 1 (0.1%) patient, CHF in 1 (0.1%) patient, ventricular arrhythmia in 1 (0.1%) patient, and atrial arrhythmia in 1 (0.1%) patient.

CONCLUSION

In the setting of elevated troponin, serious complications associated with either exercise or vasodilator stress testing appear to be relatively rare with no increased risk attributable to a particular vasodilator agent.

IDEAL-CRT: A Phase 1/2 Trial of Isotoxic Dose-Escalated Radiation Therapy and Concurrent Chemotherapy in Patients With Stage II/III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE

To report toxicity and early survival data for IDEAL-CRT, a trial of dose-escalated concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for non-small cell lung cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients received tumor doses of 63 to 73 Gy in 30 once-daily fractions over 6 weeks with 2 concurrent cycles of cisplatin and vinorelbine. They were assigned to 1 of 2 groups according to esophageal dose. In group 1, tumor doses were determined by an experimental constraint on maximum esophageal dose, which was escalated following a 6 + 6 design from 65 Gy through 68 Gy to 71 Gy, allowing an esophageal maximum tolerated dose to be determined from early and late toxicities. Tumor doses for group 2 patients were determined by other tissue constraints, often lung. Overall survival, progression-free survival, tumor response, and toxicity were evaluated for both groups combined.

RESULTS

Eight centers recruited 84 patients: 13, 12, and 10, respectively, in the 65-Gy, 68-Gy, and 71-Gy cohorts of group 1; and 49 in group 2. The mean prescribed tumor dose was 67.7 Gy. Five grade 3 esophagitis and 3 grade 3 pneumonitis events were observed across both groups. After 1 fatal esophageal perforation in the 71-Gy cohort, 68 Gy was declared the esophageal maximum tolerated dose. With a median follow-up of 35 months, median overall survival was 36.9 months, and overall survival and progression-free survival were 87.8% and 72.0%, respectively, at 1 year and 68.0% and 48.5% at 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS

IDEAL-CRT achieved significant treatment intensification with acceptable toxicity and promising survival. The isotoxic design allowed the esophageal maximum tolerated dose to be identified from relatively few patients.

Biometrical issues in the analysis of adverse events within the benefit assessment of drugs

The analysis of adverse events plays an important role in the benefit assessment of drugs. Consequently, results on adverse events are an integral part of reimbursement dossiers submitted by pharmaceutical companies to health policy decision-makers. Methods applied in the analysis of adverse events commonly include simple standard methods for contingency tables. However, the results produced may be misleading if observations are censored at the time of discontinuation due to treatment switching or noncompliance, resulting in unequal follow-up periods. In this paper, we present examples to show that the application of inadequate methods for the analysis of adverse events in the reimbursement dossier can lead to a downgrading of the evidence on a drug's benefit in the subsequent assessment, as greater harm from the drug cannot be excluded with sufficient certainty. Legal regulations on the benefit assessment of drugs in Germany are presented, in particular, with regard to the analysis of adverse events. Differences in safety considerations between the drug approval process and the benefit assessment are discussed. We show that the naive application of simple proportions in reimbursement dossiers frequently leads to uninterpretable results if observations are censored and the average follow-up periods differ between treatment groups. Likewise, the application of incidence rates may be misleading in the case of recurrent events and unequal follow-up periods. To allow for an appropriate benefit assessment of drugs, adequate survival time methods accounting for time dependencies and duration of follow-up are required, not only for time-to-event efficacy endpoints but also for adverse events. © 2016 The Authors. Pharmaceutical Statistics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Is safety of childhood growth hormone therapy related to dose? Data from a large observational study

OBJECTIVE

Concerns have been raised of increased mortality risk in adulthood in certain patients who received growth hormone treatment during childhood. This study evaluated the safety of growth hormone treatment in childhood in everyday practice.

DESIGN

NordiNet(®) International Outcome Study (IOS) is a noninterventional, observational study evaluating safety and effectiveness of Norditropin(®) (somatropin; Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark).

METHODS

Long-term safety data (1998-2013) were collected on 13 834 growth hormone treated pediatric patients with short stature. Incidence rates (IRs) of adverse events (AEs) defined as adverse drug reactions (ADRs), serious ADRs (SADRs), and serious AEs (SAEs) were calculated by mortality risk group (low/intermediate/high). The effect of growth hormone dose on IRs and the occurrence of cerebrovascular AEs were investigated by the risk group.

RESULTS

We found that 61.0% of patients were classified as low-risk, 33.9% intermediate-risk, and 5.1% high-risk. Three hundred and two AEs were reported in 261 (1.9%) patients during a mean (s.d.) treatment duration of 3.9 (2.8) years. IRs were significantly higher in the high- vs the low-risk group (high risk vs low risk-ADR: 9.11 vs 3.14; SAE: 13.66 vs 1.85; SADR: 4.97 vs 0.73 events/1000 patient-years of exposure; P < 0.0001 for all). Except for SAEs in the intermediate-risk group (P = 0.0486) in which an inverse relationship was observed, no association between IRs and growth hormone dose was found. No cerebrovascular events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that safety data from NordiNet(®) IOS do not reveal any new safety signals and confirm a favorable overall safety profile in accordance with other pediatric observational studies. No association between growth hormone dose and the incidence of AEs during growth hormone treatment in childhood was found.

Long-QT Syndrome and Therapy for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

INTRODUCTION

Stimulants are the mainstay therapy for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and are associated with adrenergic side effects. There are limited data on the clinical course of patients treated for ADHD who have long-QT syndrome (LQTS), for which β-blockade is the goal of therapy.

METHODS

LQTS patients from the Rochester-based LQTS Registry (open-enrollment between 1979 and 2003; follow-up from 1979 to present) treated with stimulant or nonstimulant ADHD medications (n = 48) were compared to a 2:1 age-, gender-, and QTc-duration matched LQTS control group not exposed to ADHD medications (n = 96). Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to evaluate risk of cardiac events (syncope, aborted cardiac arrest, and sudden cardiac death) in LQTS patients treated with ADHD medications.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up of 7.9 ± 5.4 years after initiation of ADHD medication at a mean age 10.7 ±7.3 years, there was a 62% cumulative probability of cardiac events in the ADHD treatment group compared to 28% in the matched LQTS control group (P < 0.001). Time-dependent use of ADHD medication was associated with an increased risk for cardiac events (HR = 3.07; P = 0.03) in the multivariate Cox model adjusted for time-dependent β-blocker use and prior cardiac events. Subgroup gender analyses showed that time-dependent ADHD medication was associated with an increased risk in male LQTS patients (HR = 6.80, P = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

LQTS patients treated with ADHD medications have increased risk for cardiac events, particularly syncope, and this risk is augmented in males. The findings highlight the importance of heightened surveillance for LQTS patients on ADHD medications.

Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials for the incidence and risk of treatment-related mortality in patients with breast cancer treated with HER2 blockade

PURPOSE

The association between human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) blockades and risk of fatal adverse events (FAEs) has not been well described. We carried out a meta-analysis regarding this issue.

METHODS

An electronic search of Medline, Embase and The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted to investigate the effects of anti-HER2 therapies on cancer patients. Only randomized controlled trials were included. Random or fixed-effect meta-analytical models were used to evaluate the risk ratio (RR) of FAEs due to the use of HER2 blockades.

RESULTS

Twenty two trials were included. The incidence of FAEs related to HER2 blockades was 0.34%, and there was no statistically significant increase in the risk of FAEs for HER2 blockades versus control in overall population (RR = 1.16, 95%CI: 0.78-1.73). Furthermore, when we performed several subgroup analyses according to drug type (trastuzumab, lapatinib, and pertuzumab), treatment strategy (dual HER2 blockade vs. mono HER2 therapy), and study setting (adjuvant trials vs. metastatic trials), we did not observe any significant differences among the groups. No evidence of publication bias was observed.

CONCLUSION

Compared with control, the addition of HER2 blockades may not increase the risk of FAEs among patients with breast cancer.

Deaths following vaccination: What does the evidence show?

Vaccines are rigorously tested and monitored and are among the safest medical products we use. Millions of vaccinations are given to children and adults in the United States each year. Serious adverse reactions are rare. However, because of the high volume of use, coincidental adverse events including deaths, that are temporally associated with vaccination, do occur. When death occurs shortly following vaccination, loved ones and others might naturally question whether it was related to vaccination. A large body of evidence supports the safety of vaccines, and multiple studies and scientific reviews have found no association between vaccination and deaths except in rare cases. During the US multi-state measles outbreak of 2014-2015, unsubstantiated claims of deaths caused by measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine began circulating on the Internet, prompting responses by public health officials to address common misinterpretations and misuses of vaccine safety surveillance data, particularly around spontaneous reports submitted to the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). We summarize epidemiologic data on deaths following vaccination, including examples where reasonable scientific evidence exists to support that vaccination caused or contributed to deaths. Rare cases where a known or plausible theoretical risk of death following vaccination exists include anaphylaxis, vaccine-strain systemic infection after administration of live vaccines to severely immunocompromised persons, intussusception after rotavirus vaccine, Guillain-Barré syndrome after inactivated influenza vaccine, fall-related injuries associated with syncope after vaccination, yellow fever vaccine-associated viscerotropic disease or associated neurologic disease, serious complications from smallpox vaccine including eczema vaccinatum, progressive vaccinia, postvaccinal encephalitis, myocarditis, and dilated cardiomyopathy, and vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis from oral poliovirus vaccine. However, making general assumptions and drawing conclusions about vaccinations causing deaths based on spontaneous reports to VAERS - some of which might be anecdotal or second-hand - or from case reports in the media, is not a scientifically valid practice.

Are the safety profiles of antipsychotic drugs used in dementia the same? An updated review of observational studies

With an increase in the global prevalence of dementia, there is also an increase in behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) for which antipsychotic drugs are often used. Despite several safety warnings on antipsychotic use in dementia, there is little evidence to support the efficacy of antipsychotics in individual BPSD symptoms or to evaluate the drug safety profile by individual antipsychotic drug. There is emerging but scarce evidence that suggests an inter-drug variability between antipsychotic safety outcomes in BPSD. The objective of this review was to examine the existing literature on antipsychotic drug use in dementia patients; in particular to see whether inter-drug differences regarding antipsychotic safety were reported. A literature search was conducted for observational studies published in the English language from 2004 to 2014 that reported the risk of all-cause mortality, cerebrovascular events, pneumonia and other outcomes such as hip/femur fracture, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and hyperglycaemia. Six of 16 mortality studies (38%), 7 of 28 stroke studies (25%), 1 of 6 pneumonia (17%) studies and 2 of 6 fracture studies (33%) investigated inter-drug safety outcomes in elderly patients/dementia patients, while to our knowledge, there are no studies investigating the inter-drug variation of deep-vein thrombosis and hyperglycaemia risk. The results of the observational studies provide mixed results on the safety of antipsychotics in BPSD but it is clear that there are differences between the safety profiles of antipsychotic drugs. Robust evidence of such inter-drug variability could significantly improve patient safety as antipsychotics become more targeted to clinical risk factors.

Delays in the post-marketing withdrawal of drugs to which deaths have been attributed: a systematic investigation and analysis

BACKGROUND

Post-marketing withdrawal of medicinal products because of deaths can be occasioned by evidence obtained from case reports, observational studies, randomized trials, or systematic reviews. There have been no studies of the pattern of withdrawals of medicinal products to which deaths have been specifically attributed and the evidence that affects such decisions. Our objectives were to identify medicinal products that were withdrawn after marketing in association with deaths, to search for the evidence on which withdrawal decisions were based, and to analyse the delays involved and the worldwide patterns of withdrawal.

METHODS

We searched the World Health Organization's Consolidated List of [Medicinal] Products, drug regulatory authorities' websites, PubMed, Google Scholar, and textbooks on adverse drug reactions. We included medicinal products for which death was specifically mentioned as a reason for withdrawal from the market. Non-human medicines, herbal products, and non-prescription medicines were excluded. One reviewer extracted the data and a second reviewer verified them independently.

RESULTS

We found 95 drugs for which death was documented as a reason for withdrawal between 1950 and 2013. All were withdrawn in at least one country, but at least 16 remained on the market in some countries. Withdrawals were more common in European countries; few were recorded in Africa (5.3%). The more recent the launch date, the sooner deaths were reported. However, in 47% of cases more than 2 years elapsed between the first report of a death and withdrawal of the drug, and the interval between the first report of a death attributed to a medicinal product and eventual withdrawal of the product has not improved over the last 60 years.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that some deaths associated with these products could have been avoided. Manufacturers and regulatory authorities should expedite investigations when deaths are reported as suspected adverse drug reactions and consider early suspensions. Increased transparency in the publication of clinical trials data and improved international co-ordination could shorten the delays in withdrawing dangerous medicinal products after reports of deaths and obviate discrepancies in drug withdrawals in different countries.